With the drive for building insulation deeply embedded within EU policy, there is huge potential in 2013, Webster said. Huntsman aims to work with its customers to realise the benefits of ETICS (external thermal insulation composite systems), which he said offer “a tremendous window to open up polyurethanes broadly into the renovation of residential buildings.” The European Technical Approval Guideline 004 describes ETICS as “a set of construction elements consisting of certain (specified) prefabricated components,” including adhesive, insulation material, base coat and accessories.

Webster said that the ETICS guidelines are quite demanding, but if Huntsman can make polyurethane a viable option – “and I’m quite hopeful we can” – then there is real potential for expanding “the scope of the market space in polyurethanes, for bringing in demanding performance standards.” Making ETICS a reality for the polyurethanes industry will open up new market potential for the next 5-10 years, he commented.

Joachim Wolff, head of Polyurethanes at Bayer MaterialScience, also spoke of the importance of energy savings. In 2013, BMS sees that the reduction of…

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About Simon Robinson

Simon is a journalist and media innovator of 30 years experience in the fields of polymers and chemicals across a range of media. Simon is Editor of Urethanes Technology International and its website utech-polyurethane.com.